| |
|
|
| |
Q.
My husband needs some exercises to help
ease his lower back pain from golfing. Any
suggestions?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
In
my opinion both stretching and strengthening are in
order. No need to hang him upside from the porch just
yet. I have a good strengthening exercise that you can
do without any equipment if you are willing to help
him out as resistance.
Here
is how to do it:
Each
sit on a chair facing in towards each other. Your kitchen
chairs should work quite well for that. Have him hold
his arms straight out towards you with elbows locked
and clasp his hands together. It looks like the arm
position for a bump in volleyball only the elbows are
straight.
Your
job is to push his arms to the side (alternating sides)
while he resists. He should resist until he is facing
almost directly to the side and feeling the stretch
in his side abs and lower back.
At
that point hold that position while he continues to
resist then remove your hands in an instant and let
him snap back to the center. This mimics the explosive
movement of the golf swing. Repeat the same thing to
the other side to balance the muscle groups.
Part
of the problem with golfing is that you only swing from
one side. This leads to a muscle imbalance which can
lead to the pain you are talking about. By working both
sides, you can correct that imbalance and reduce the
pain.
Do
between 5 to 7 reps on each side (alternating sides
as you go) for 3 sets. Take about a minute rest between
each set. This can be done 3 to 4 times a week, e.g.
Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat or Sunday.
Try
to increase resistance as he gets stronger with the
movement.
Another
very similar variation you can try is to make it a competition.
Start in the exact same position. He will do everything
he can to keep his arms pointing straight forward at
you while you try your hardest to push his arms to the
sides like above. Don't worry about resistance or getting
the stretch or anything like that. The elastic force
he will get from trying to keep his arms forward will
work great. Use fast, sudden movements from either side
without warning.
Naturally,
don't start with this one. Let him develop some core
strength for a few weeks before trying it.
Learn
5 of "The
Best Abdominal Exercises
You've Never Heard Of" FREE!!
Fill
in the form below to receive a FREE,
5 day e-mail course featuring abdominal
exercises that will take your give you six-pack
abs, a tight waist, and a rock-solid core.
Videos
included!
